Premier League club unveil ‘beautiful’ new-look training ground with games room, ice baths and state-of-the-art kitchen
NOTTINGHAM FOREST have unveiled their “beautiful” new-look training ground.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis pumped in millions of pounds to revamp the facility.
And the results are a stunning update that the players insist is “making them better”.
The Nigel Doughty Academy base underwent major renovation work following the club’s promotion back to the Premier League in 2022.
So much so that it looks unrecognisable from just two years ago.
Forest shared a five-minute video on social media giving fans a tour of the premises.
The clip starts with manager Nuno Espirito Santo welcoming the camera crew into the building and then shows off various new aspects of the training ground.
That includes plush meeting rooms, a video room decked out with comfy dugout-style branded seats, analysts’ suites kitted out with plenty of screens and a squeaky-clean changing room completed with motivational text.
But the more impressive parts of the training ground facelift include the swanky recovery swimming pools, ice baths, showers and sauna.
There is also a 405-square-metre open-plan gym, treatment room and physio area to ensure Forest’s players are in the best condition possible come matchday.
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They revamped the canteen into a modern dining lounge with a new team of chefs and nutritionists in the state-of-the-art kitchens – plus an in-house Joe & The Juice barista coffee set-up with a red espresso machine.
The club, though, have placed particular emphasis on the team culture at the training ground.
So Marinakis ordered the creation of a new social and relaxation area which features sofas, pool tables and a Teqball table – although there is no golf course on site like at East Midlands rivals Leicester City’s epic £100m centre.
One of the biggest improvements has been outside, though, with the Nigel Doughty Academy training pitches now an exact replica of the playing surface at their home stadium.
Club captain Ryan Yates, who joined the Forest academy aged eight, insists the squad are reaping the rewards of the improved “world-class” infrastructure.
Yates said: “It’s improved dramatically especially since we gained promotion to the Prem, it’s so obvious to see.
“Having the barista and these small touches go a long, long way to making it feel like a proper Premier League training ground.
“The backing from the owner is massive.
“You can tell going in the levels are completely different, it’s absolutely top class.
“When we got promoted, the training pitches weren’t at the best standard, now they are basically identical to the City Ground which is just huge.
“Training on a pitch that is immaculate every single day is really helping the lads become better players. It’s a huge investment making sure the pitches are world class.
“The difference from when I first came as an eight-year-old… it’s almost unrecognisable.”
Delighted Forest fans are also very excited about the transformation and flooded the YouTube video with comments.
One said: “It is beautiful, thank you so much to all involved.”
Another wrote: “Looks absolutely amazing.”
A third added: “Fantastic, a world away from where we were 5-10 years ago, we are very lucky to have such an ambitious owner.”
And a final user simply typed: “Love it.”